1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a network system for performing packet communications and a communication method used in the system and, more particularly, to a network system constituted by a plurality of node devices to each of which at least one terminal equipment is connected, and a plurality of channels for interconnecting the node devices.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, in order to realize a high-speed network that connects terminal equipments in correspondence with high-speed terminal equipments, various kinds of network systems that use an optical wavelength multiplex transmission path using a plurality of wavelengths have been examined. As one of these network systems, a multihop network system which relays and transmits data to be transmitted by a node device or devices located on the transmission route between the source terminal equipment and the destination terminal equipment is known. This system is explained in Biswanath Mukherjee, "WDM-Based Local Lightwave Networks Part II: Multihop Systems", IEEE Network, July (1992), pp. 20-32.